The present invention concerns testing of computers and pertains particularly to remote testing of computers.
Often when a customer makes a purchase of a large number of units of a device, a certain amount of hardware and or software customization is requested. Whenever hardware components or software components are added or changed, significant testing is generally performed. Computers, for example, are tested by the manufacturer, and then sometimes retested by the customer.
Customers that have custom software applications often want or require the ability to retest the custom software on computers whenever the manufacturer changes any of the components of the computer. This can add significant delay to the process the manufacturer uses to release the computer with changed components. Additionally, in order to comply with the customer's testing requirement, the manufacture needs to arrange for samples of changed parts to be shipped to customers for testing after the manufacturer has completed its own testing.
When customers retest custom software applications on computers, this can also increase the cost to the manufacturer, for example to cover shipping and provision of samples. There is also the increased cost for additional logistical coordination that needs to be provided by the manufacturer. If a customer does not approve reception of a changed component until the customer completes testing, this can add four or more weeks of delay for the manufacturer in implementing a change after the manufacturer finishes its own testing. If the component change is the result of a quality issue or a technology obsolescence, the manufacturer may not have the option of interim shipping of computers using the previous component. This can have a significant financial impact on the manufacturer.